My Sacrifice
by Nashayla
Summary: Love. Friendship. Hatred. Its a risk their willing to take for themselves...for eachother...for magical and muggle worlds. Its love he wanted, and its what he'll get, for they won't reside until they suceed. A sacrifice is now worth one thousand words.


What lies Inside

By Nasha Brownridge

The rain outside continued to pour, hitting the window pane with undeniable force. Everything, upon looking through the cracked glass of the room was dark, and to all who did look then from their indoor shelters would surely see nothing at all. Feeling as though any second she may crumble from fear, Hermione pushed herself tight against the red-headed boy whom she loved so dearly. On either side of her, comfort could be found coming from the two people in life who meant most to her. Hands intertwined lovingly, she and Ron were quite obviously frightened...but Harry, he remained strong. It was together they faced everything, and together they would defeat the world which they despised with such hate.

They were his strength...his will and love. Whilst they were there with him, an unexplainable emotion ran through his very veins, telling him nothing could harm him in their presence. Seeing them together at last perhaps did scare him, for one day they may not feel so in love as they did now, but just as Dumbledore would have wanted...their was love, even among those who were being duly effected by the war. Their love was his fuel to go on, forgetting all danger and loss's he may have experienced in the past or quite recently. Upon hearing the prophecy those years ago, he had felt so alienated and alone...until, that is, he'd told them. It was true, the fright and confusion upon their faces had been enough to tear him apart, but eventually they'd come to understand and accept what was to come, with such grace not a complaint could be said.

"I can't do this...Oh my god Harry I can't do this." said the panicked voice of Hermione, who was waving her hands frantically. The carelessness of her actions lead to the hard blow Ron received next, directly in the mouth. Freezing suddenly, she looked up to where Ron had clasped his hand and gasped, horrified. "Oh Ron, I'm sorry!" she said, trying to tear his hand away so she could see the damage she'd done. "Move your hand would you, don't be stubborn!" she cried. Finally succeeding, she nearly fainted as she saw he was bleeding...a sight she could not stand at the moment. Turning oddly pale for such a brave lady, she bit her bottom lip as it began to tremble. Ron wiped away all blood, and to his good fortune the bleeding had stopped and the pain had subsided greatly. Slowly...nervously he leaned down and pressed his lips ever so gently against hers, hoping only to make her see he was indeed alright. Closing his eyes, Harry turned, upon deciding they deserved their privacy after all these years.

He would have left if that remained an option, but it was not at the moment. For hours they had been waiting for the rain to clear so they could, finally after a years wait go and destroy what remained of Voldemort, or rather Tom Riddles soul. According to all they'd accomplished, two remained hopefully in nearby places. Where they currently sat was where everything had truly begun and where Harry hoped it would end. They had, just as planned, arrived at Godrics Hollow: the village in which his parents had done everything they could to save him from a fate they hadn't known. Trying hard not to think of his parents at this time, he returned his gaze to his friends to see them only just pulling away from what seemed like an intimate kiss. Ron looked up to see Harry, and began to blush an intense crimson. Whirling her head around, Hermione too noticed and shrugged her shoulders awkwardly.

"Feeling better?" laughed Harry, smiling now that she was calmed down, perhaps slightly more confident as well. She merely nodded her head, as Ron avoided his gaze, his ears an identical colour to his face. "Oh come on guys, you think I haven't seen worst? You're together now...do what you want." he said, though kept in what he was really thinking. Of all things, he wanted to tell each other to express their love as much as they needed to, for who knew when they may ever get the chance again? Letting out a sigh, he would not lie so he merely sat there.

"Thanks mate." Ron murmured, his face beginning to slowly fade back to its normal skin tone. The awkward silence was replaced with that of understanding and tolerance. Though, in the beginning of their relationship they'd been quite odd (not only around each other, but around Harry as well) everything seemed to have improved. The worst of everything had to be that Ron seemed to feel sorry...sorry that Harry had lost his love, even if that meant being with his little sister. Being happy with Hermione made him feel terrible, when because of a horrible fate, Harry couldn't know such happiness.

It seemed suddenly in the silence that something seemed missing...head whipping around to face the nearest window, a smile broke across Harry's face. The rain had stopped, and from over their shoulders only Harry could see what remained, telling the story of the fallen drops. Arcing above the village, a rainbow could be seen shining like a fire in the darkness. Nodding in the proper direction, he signaled to the other two to look behind them. Eyeing him carefully, as though afraid of what they might find, they both turned in unison. Hermione uttered a soft, pleasant scream.

"I-It's a rainbow." she said in disbelief. It seemed to bring her the strength she had lost since their arrival. Narrowing her eyes she nodded, a slight smile upon her face. "I'm ready. I'm terrified...but I don't think I can prepare myself more then I am now." she said simply, thinking...wondering if they were just as ready as her. Then she knew if they didn't leave soon, the doubt she'd once felt in herself would likely return, something she feared beyond all. Seeing of what she was speaking, Ron and Harry both smiled with expressions of understanding spread across their face. "Alright...so we know the first five Horcruxes have been destroyed." she began, biting her nails as she spoke. "So that leaves us two more. We know the final one is still inside him, but cannot be destroyed until we've broken the sixth." she said, making it all sound simple. The three of them knew, beyond what she was saying...what made this last bit difficult.

"The question is...what could the last one be Hermione? I don't get it...we've gone through everything, and it all leads back to here." said Harry, looking around the place sadly, only wishing he could have maybe grown up here in the village. Sure, maybe it wasn't as prim and proper as Privet Drive, but to him it was home...a home he'd never known. "What could it be! Your research must tell you something 'Mione." he repeated desperately, gripping his hair with his left hand. Staring her down, he pleaded with his eyes...looking between her and Ron, wishing they would give some sign of hope. Anything...it's all he wanted to hear, something that would bring them closer to the final battle.

"Oh would you quit being so impatient? I know you don't care how dangerous this is, but we do! If we can we want to get all three of us out alive, if that's not too much to ask." she snapped, staring down at notes she'd scrawled neatly upon yellow parchment. "Well, if what Dumbledore said was right, and that's likely, then our best bet is to find something that once belonged to Gryffindor." she said thoughtfully, though she too knew the truth. Just like he'd been told, the only thing left was the sword...but it wasn't that, at least it wasn't according to Dumbledore.

"So Harry, tell us...have you seen any of Gryffindor's knickers lying around the place, because I'll tell you now that I haven't." said Ron with a false sense of thought. Curling his lips, he tried to choke back his laughter but failed as he burst out into near tears. Hermione looked annoyed, as she watched Harry join, the two boys laughing together now showing no sign of exhaustion. To gain their attention back, she began to click her tongue impatiently, rolling her eyes for them to see. Pulling themselves together, they forced upon one another straight faces.

"This is serious!" she said earnestly, but seeing their strained faces struck something. A small smile could be seen upturning the corners of her lips. "Oh Ron...you'll never change, will you?" she laughed wrapping her arms around him. Ron began to blush...clearly, even after the months they'd been seeing each other, he still couldn't keep the colour from his face. Releasing his neck, she crossed her arms around her chest as she thought. "It just doesn't fit...everything has lead us here, and I really don't doubt in that, but I can't bring myself to doubt in him...not now that he's gone. We just need to read between the lines, and find what we've missed...and the answer will be there. Okay..." she said glancing down the parchment once more. "He entered your house...in this village those years ago, planning to make the last horcrux from your death." she said unsurely, eyeing him closely to see if there was any sign of needing her to stop. Nodding for her to continue, Harry listened without a thought as to the words she spoke. He would not think of what he'd lost...but only of what he would discover. He held out a steady hand, asking without words for her to hand him the paper clutched in her grasp. Blinking, she held out for him to take staring at him with curiosity burning within her brown, glowing eyes.

He stared down at the page pointlessly, information passing through his mind before slipping away, leaving no trace of remark behind. His eyes lingered upon the many notes written in Hermione's neat scrawl, but none seemed to portray any meaning. Suddenly, his eyes came to a stop. There...with no mistake...no question. Something within his mind clicked upon reading the sentence...a sentence that told him so surely...explaining. _"He entered Godrics Hollow, planning to form his final Horcrux, and that night it is likely that indeed he did." _It was there between the lines, standing out now above all. It was so obvious...and it terrified him. He was sure, without a doubt that the final piece of the puzzle had been found somewhere inside...

"Me" he whispered hoarsely, horror in his eyes. "It's inside of...me."


End file.
